All great advice, thank you. I must have sneezed while I was typing. He does not have his emergency funds in the form of index funds. It should have read: He has a solid emergency fund and his retirement savings invested in index funds. Sorry for the confusion and thanks again for the replies.

Trying to help a friend out with a question regarding money he has in some high risk equity funds/individual stocks he has with fidelity. He is already maxing out his tax sheltered retirement savings and has a solid emergency fund (index funds). He wants to use the $80k that he has invested with fid...

You are officially encouraged to read this book: http://www.amazon.com/Total-Money-Makeover-Financial-Fitness/dp/159555078X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1370905979&sr=1-1&keywords=dave+ramsey+total+money+makeover Once you get to step 4, stop reading and donate that book, then read ...

I am now automatically buying I bonds every month to reach our savings goal. I have inherited some money and would like to put it toward our future home, since the current rate for Ibonds is 1.18% I am thinking about buying a 5 YR CD at 1.75%. Is there any tax implications or anything that I am miss...

Recent-ish college grad here. I can't remember NOT knowing that I was definitely going to college and that my parents would be paying- it was a fact of life growing up. It strongly motivated me to work hard in my studies since my parents had worked hard to make it possible. So basically, I don't th...

My wife and I are pregnant with Twins! I have done a lot of research on how I want to execute a 529 and have decided on a plan. This ‘event’ has sparked a lot of conversation about how we want to discuss education with our children and the terms in which we explain the plan to pay for school. Her fa...

My solution to this this issue has always been to hold a portfolio that's 20-60-20. 20% TIPS 60% Total bond market 20% High yield corporate Rebalance occasionally. It has worked very well over the years and is doing fine this year. Rick Ferri Rick, I'd be interested to know how or if you would chan...

I wouldn't do it, but I'm single with no kids. You can never get that money back into the account. You could always rent a house or apartment in the "good" school district :) What if the landlord told you he sold the property and you need to find another place to live? It could be very ha...

http://www.rickferri.com/blog/strategy/winning-with-small-value-stocks/ Great graph by Mr. Ferri, but not useful. Unless one is investing at the start of one decade and cashing out at the end does it matter?? Unlike most on here I think rolling returns to be much more useful then decade by decade r...

One problem though... on the TSP enrollment form, you can only contribute a percentage of your pay, and not a dollar amount per month. I'm trying to do the full $5500 a year into a ROTH, but I have a base pay that will change twice over the next 8 months. Any of the military folks on here (which I ...

1. I run a financial blog specifically for US Navy Sailors.. I recently wrote an article on ways to maximize deployment investing. http://www.deckplatedollars.com/2012/10/should-i-invest-in-sdp-or-roth-tsp.html 2. You can make a contribution for the 2012 tax year as early late as April 15, 2013. 3. ...

Inn at the market, nice place and it doesn't get much closer to the action. Their valet service is excellent while alleviating the parking stress of downtown. Serious Pie has the best pizza I've ever eaten, Pike chowder has THE best clam chowder, Piroshky Piroshky has some amazing Piroshkies. Have f...

Operations Management is a specialty field that most people don't know about -- but in the logistics/manufacturing industries the master's degree would be valued. The more rigorous/analytical the program the better (e.g. math-based with use of computer-based decision tools). Stan, thanks for the re...

I will be retiring from the military in about 8 years and have the opportunity to pursue a graduate degree on my next set of orders (I will be on shore duty). The Navy offers an incredible program (with limited spots) which pays up to $40,000 for Junior Officers to obtain a masters as long as it fit...

I just finished Bernstein's "The Investor's Manifesto: Preparing for Prosperity, Armageddon, and Everything in Between" and I thought it was excellent. I have enjoyed his other books but I just wanted to point out this one in particular. I am always looking for ammo when it comes to tellin...

how does a spreadsheet do all those things in the OP? Most of the bullets populate by the use of conditional formatting (Format > Conditional Formatting). They are all tied to the other trackers. Like I said, I'm a nerd. Much of it is probably overkill, but I find it fullfills my need to tinker (an...

As many other Bogleheads, I have a habit of tinkering with spreadsheets. My investing spreadsheets have gotten more complex (although not as complex as some I have seen) since I have started. This particular portion is certainly not complex, but it helps us stay on track with savings goals and keeps...

I spent many hours on deciding whether or not to tilt. I read several books on the reading list and almost every thread on this forum that had the keywords small or value in them. I was looking for guidance on how to simply use TSM and SCV index funds to accomplish a tilt without getting too complic...

So.. I'm pretty sure I found the anwer to my last question, and wouldn't you know it? Its right there in the wiki. I read the quote from the wiki below to say (for my situation), "Since you are in a low tax bracket now and will most likely remain in the lower tax brackets during the duration of...

Keep in mind, that the interest on your I bonds will compound, tax deferred. However, that means you will owe income tax on all the interest when you cash them in to buy the house. So, when you calculate what you will have after 10 years, be sure to subtract the amount you expect to pay in taxes. I...

I have been reading many of the posts regarding calculating i bond interest and it seems to be going over my head. I am looking at all options for saving up for a downpayment on a house in 10 years. The I bond interests me. I am trying to get a ballpark of how much I would need to save a month over ...

I have been reading many of the posts regarding calculating i bond interest and it seems to be going over my head. I am looking at all options for saving up for a downpayment on a house in 10 years. The I bond interests me. I am trying to get a ballpark of how much I need to save a month over the ne...

EmergDoc addressed your question in his post at http://www.bogleheads.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=48901 under General Military Issues, Item 1). You might want to take a look at it.Minot Its funny you cite that article. I have read it and actually link to it on my website deckplatedollars.com. I figur...

Converting your house to a rental makes your taxes and the depreciation more complicated and it isn't always clear what the net effect will be. Often with a rental the taxes and depreciation will either make it a good investment or not. You should treat the rental as a business and have a firm busi...

You "build equity" through the home purchase -- not by paying housing expenses. I completely understand this concept, I was referring to the fact that I am aware of the risks involved with having to make a major repair on a home. I would be building equity by paying on a mortgage for thre...

I suppose when there's the decent chance that you could be renting for 20 years when you could be building equity, it tends to roll off the tongue a little easier. I understand your point, but personally I would feel better with throwing my money away on something like a roof for a house I owned the...

We have rented in the area before and had a very good experience with a local property manager, so we may go that route or as I mentioned above, we have some family in the area. I would have to run the numbers with the property management fees but I think going that route would put my mind at ease. ...

I created a blog on blogger from scratch and with NO prior knowledge. After a few days of messing with it I found myself actually tinkering with codes. If you just take some time and play around with it, you will learn very quickly. I pay $10 through google (incorporated within blogger functionality...

My wife and I are kicking around the idea of buying a home in about three years, the circumstances may be a bit odd and I wanted to get some opinions. I have been in the military for 10 years and will be making it a career. I have been renting since I joined but I would like to stop throwing that mo...